Alternating Egos
by femalepadfoot
Summary: Three girls pick up the title of Marauders from a ratty old parchment dropped by a certain chosen one. They begin to feel odd, forgetting what happened during whole days. Soon they find themselves the players in a game they never asked to join.
1. Prologue: Graduation

((Weirdness, this one. It's for my Moony who is the Moony in this story. I luvs her. Happy late birthday, girlie. I hope you like it. It's crazy for anybody else. Oh, and it's a sequel to Torn. Kind of an inside joke, this one.))

**Prologue**

**Graduation  
**

The red and gold robes sat just right on Kathryn's usually hidden figure. Icy blue eyes scanned the room through the mirror for Marlo.

"Hey, Mar, you're the fashionista, do I look okay?"

"Looks great, Kat. Gimme a second." Marlo wiped a tear from her eyes and started into the mirror. Her black semi formal dress fit very well on her curvy frame. The other student's had left already. In those included her boyfriend. Kat felt bad for her. It was graduation and she and her boyfriend had ended it. Mar had been a wreck since last night when they all loaded on the train. The image was still fresh in Kathryn's mind. Their sillouettes against the moonlight next to the train. They held each other for a long time before departing with one last kiss. Their path's took them different directions.

To be truthful, Kathryn was kind of glad that she didn't have a boyfriend. It complicated things. There was plenty of time for coupling, but Marlo was one of those girls that constantly had a boyfriend. Except, she and Pieter had fit each other better than any of the others. She was sure that they would see each other again, but there was no telling when that would be.

Kat made her way over to the ailing girl. "Shhh…"

Marlo turned and wrapped her arms around her friend. They held each other in a silent embrace for a while before either of them spoke.

"My birthday is tomorrow too, Kat." She choked back a sob. "I should be happy."

"I thought you both decided that this was what you wanted." She brushed the hair back from her friend's eyes.

Mar shook her head furiously. "No. He wanted it so I acted like I did. Moony, I just want to sleep. I don't want to graduate. At least he'll be here. I can remember him here."

"Stop it. You're stronger than this, Padfoot!" She gave her a soft shake. "You are the strongest woman I know. You have the rest of your life to sulk. Today, we graduate!"

"Yeah. You're right, Kat. I'm sorry."

The brunette couldn't hide a chuckle and reached for her robe laying on her bed. After putting it on, they headed down stairs to the front lawn of Hogwarts. There they would attend the ceremony that was the end of another chapter of their lives.


	2. Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning

((A/N: So, I'm gonna explain why they call each other the marauders soon. Not the next chapter, but the one after that probably.))

Blue expanse as far as the eye could see. Fog blocked the castle from view as three solemn figures sat on the dock, their legs dangling toward the water below. Everything seemed so surreal. To think… they were leaving a place that they had spent a good seven years living.

Kathryn leaned back to rest her weight on her hands. "We'll keep in touch, right?"

"Of course." Meridith, the shortest, grinned at her friend. "We're the marauders, aren't we?"

Kathryn watched Marlo pull her hair back into a loose bun and fix it to her head with a stray ribbon she pulled from her pocket. Their dresses moved in the wind as the distant toll of a bell lulled them into silence. Meridith's black pumps rested next to her, the heels shining in the moonlight.

This was right.

Everything about this night was right. Except the feeling that the next morning was coming. Kathryn hated it. These two meant a lot to her. Over the past seven years they had found their way together and kept it that way. Things were about to change drastically for them.

None of them moved for a long time. The chilly air embraced them as a silence crept in.

Finally Marlo got up. "I'm tired. I'll see you guys in the morning."

With that, she left. Her bare feet making no noise on the grass below her. Kathryn watched her go. Meridith stared into the distance before speaking slow, measured words. "So… You think she'll be okay?"

"It's Mar. When hasn't she rebounded?" Kat stood as well, and the other girl followed her lead.

"True, but it seems like she's just a bit more upset this time." Meridith shrugged. "In any case, I'm beat. Let's go back to the dorm. Tomorrow is gonna be hectic."

Kathryn nodded and trudged behind her for a while. Neither of them spoke. It didn't seem there was much to be said. Both seemed to be lavishing in the moment. As they made their way to the main entrance, where they would part, Meridith turned to Kat. "Stop worrying. You worry too much."

Kat nodded, and moved silently up the stairs toward the Gryffindor Tower. She left Meridith to watch her from the entrance hall as she disappeared around the corner. She shook her head and slunk down into the dungeons.


	3. Chapter 2: Padfoot's Recovery

((A/N: Some names in this chapter have been changed to protect the not so innocent… This one is the beginning of a big problem that will face the girls later on. Muggles, booze and boys. Story of my life. ))

Marlo reached for the bottle of booze. Freshly pulled from the freezer, it was coated in a layer of perspiration as it adjusted to the temperature of the room. The waiting red plastic cup, filled to the brim with ice, was gripped with an iron fist. Clear liquid slipped easily into its new, yet temporary, residence. Her mahogany eyes fixed on Jonathan across the room. He laughed and patted the bigger guy next to him on the shoulder.

Jonathan had invited her here.

The most he had said to her all night was, 'Hey.' and 'This is Tony.'

Tony was the bigger guy. He was kinda cute, she supposed. Not dressed to impress. But then again, neither was Jonathan. That boy would look good in a burlap bag though. Broad shouldered, thin waist, blue jeans and a ratty old sweater. Marlo had to admit, if he showed the slightest bit of interest, she'd be all over him.

She took a swig of the alcohol and grimaced. She'd forgotten to add the orange juice.

All this would have made quite a few of her younger friends upset, but she honestly believed it was more about how you handle yourself than anything. There were so many at Hogwarts that looked up to her. Not to mention Kathryn.

Kat had always been her voice of reason. Both for her and Meridith. For that, Marlo was grateful…

But right now, she really needed some cheering up.

Pulling it from the fridge, she sat the jug on the counter next to her cup and took the plastic ring from the outside of the lid.

"Hey, let me make this for you." Jonathan took the jug from her hands and poured in a good amount of orange juice. He got a straw from a box on top of the microwave. "Sorry I've been ignoring you. I was trying to catch up with Tony. Since I started working at the ministry, my muggle friends haven't seen much of me."

"It's okay." She lied, but at least now he was paying attention to her. She didn't know anybody here or otherwise she wouldn't be stuck in the kitchen.

He hugged her before giving her the drink. The faint smell of liquor suddenly made her feel very sick. She wanted to go home, but she hadn't seen Jonathan in a while either. He graduated a couple years ahead of her at Hogwarts and he lived in Corby as well. So they got pretty close in school. This summer they vowed to get more time together, but he was working at the ministry as some sort of pencil pusher.

She took a sip of the drink and smiled. A little too much orange juice, but it didn't matter. She'd already had a few beverages before. Jonathan grinned at her. "I'll be right back. Toilet."

"Okay." She leaned against the counter.

Tony, not too long after Jonathan left, sauntered into the kitchen. "Marlo, right?"

She nodded, deciding it would be best to start conversation with him since she didn't know anybody else here anyway.

"Yeah. You're Tony. You live here?"

"Yep." He cracked open a beer. "So, how do you know, John?"

"School. We were in the same house and we just got to know each other. Plus, we both live in Corby." She grinned, already liking this guy. He seemed the kind of warm guy that anybody could talk to.

He took a swig and bobbed his head at John as he came back into the kitchen. "Well, I gotta see to my party. Later guys. _Have fun_."

She didn't like the smirk he gave Jonathan as he walked out.

The tall blond pointed to her cup. "So how is it?"

"Good."

Jonathan chuckled and stepped closer to her. His eyes caught hers, holding them tightly as his arms snaked around her waist. He hadn't even really shown an interest until now. Leaning down, he went for her mouth.

Marlo almost let him kiss her, but then something occurred to her. He swayed, still trying for that kiss. Obviously he was drunker than he was letting on. Slipping from his grasp, he nearly fell over as some of his weight had been rested on her. He cursed and caught himself on the counter. "What was that about?"

"I just really don't want to… to do that, okay?"

Jonathan stared at her for a moment; his mouth gaped before his face turned to a snarl. "I hate you."

Marlo stood, stunned for a moment before she felt tears rise into her eyes. How had she deserved that? She assumed it wasn't just the comment that had brought the tears to her eyes, but the alcohol clouding her thought process.

She put her hands over her eyes and felt her shoulders move methodically with the sobs that raked through her body.

"Are you okay?" A soft voice offered a hand of friendship.

Jonathan nearly growled at the person. "This isn't any of your business. It's between us."

"Excuse me, this is my house and everything inside of it is my business." The voice sighed. "Can you just give us a second, John?"

She heard him stomp off.

Removing her hands, she saw the host of the party smiling at her. Tony. He held his arms open for a hug. The look on his face was an assurance that it was okay to deny the gesture. She accepted, burying her head in his collar. He wrapped his arms around her, the second to do so tonight, except that they were around her shoulders. She felt sheltered, not held against her will. He was warm, not cold and firm like John.

He patted her back, careful not to get too comfortable with the embrace. Marlo sighed and shook her head into his chest. "I'm sorry… Did you see that?"

"Yeah. And he had no reason to act like that."

Marlo hiccupped, trying to fight back the tears. "I shouldn't have come tonight. I should have known."

"No. Then you wouldn't have met me. Whaddya say… friends?"

He pulled back to look at her. She grinned. "Okay, Tony. Friends."


End file.
